Marking attachment for strip-forming apparatus



May 8, 1923.

shc. LOWE MARKING ATTACHMENT FOR STRIP FORMING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 5, 1921 Pa ente Ma 8, .23-

um'ren sures PATENT OFFICE SILAS o. LOWE, or AKRON, onro, ASSIGNOB T0 was B. r. ooona1on.comram, or

NEW YORK, 11.1, A CORPOBATIQN or NEW YORK.

IdZABKING ATTACHMENT FOR STRIP-FORMING APPARATUS.

3 Application filed November 3, 1921. Serial No. 512,682.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SILAS C. Lowe, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Marking Attachment for Strip-Forming Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to apparatus for marking a strip or sheet of plastic material as the latter emerges from a strip-forming or sheet-forming device such as the extruding machines used in the rubber industry and commonly referred to as tube-machines. One important application of my invention is in the forming of strips of rubber such as are used as treads for pneumatic tires. A relatively narrow strip of rubberized fabric called the breaker-strip is usually laid by hand lengthwise upon the tread, in a medial position, thereon, before the. latter is incorporated into the tire. It

is important that the breaker-strip be accurately placed, and this may best be done by first marking upon the tread the lines on which the edges of the breaker-strip are to lie.

My chief object is to provide improved means for progressively and automatically marking a strip or sheet of material as the latter is formed whereby the position of the markings may be varied at will and accurately controlled. A further object is to provide a marking attachment which readily maybe assembled with and removed from a strip-forming means such as a tube machine.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying a preferred form of my' invention. V

Fig. 2 is a fragn'ientary section, on the.

line 22' of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View, on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the rubber strip reversed, showing a breaker-strip in position thereon.

In these drawings, 10 is the feed cylinder of a tube machine, 11 a cylinder head bolted to the front end of the cylinder and having a forwardly-projecting nozzle 12 and a die plate 13 detachably secured to the front of the latter by quick-detachable wedges 14, and

15 is a strip of,rubber formed by forctaken to make-up tables where the lengths are laid face downward, as shown in Fig. 4, and the breaker-strip 42 is placed along the middle portion of the top side of the rubber strip with its edges parallel to those of, the

latter, its positioning thereon being facilitated by t epresence of parallel rows of indentations 41, which are formed by the device herein described.

On headed stud-bolts 19, 20 (Figs. 1 and 2), projecting from each side of the nozzle 12 is suspended an L-shaped bracket 21, a rearwardly extending arm 22thereof resting on the bolt 20 and being formed with a recess 23 engaging the bolt 19, the heads of the bolts preventing lateral displacement of the bracket. The other arm of the bracket is U-shaped, being formed by paced, v

lel, vertical members 24, 25 united at their lower ends by a horizontal member 26, which projects laterally outward from the side of each bracket forming an outstanding lug. Sliding vertically in these U-shaped arms below the level of the die plate .13 is a horizontal bar 27 having a dove-tail groove 28 extending along its" front face, and blocks 29 at its ends, outside of the brackets 21, the latter preventing a transverse movement of the bar in the brackets. These blocks rest on the upper ends of vertical adjusting screws 30 threadedthrough holes in the lugs 26, compression springs 31 being provided between winged heads 32,on the bolts and the lower surfaces of the lugs to retain the bolts in adjusted positions.

T 001 carrying blocks 33, 33 are slidably mounted on the front of the bar 27 by dovetail projections 34 sliding in the groove 28, each of the blocks having also an ear 35 projecting rearwardly beneath the bar and supporting a vertical wing-headed bolt 36 threaded therethrough which may be set against the lower surface of the bar to hold the block in adjusted position. Projectin from the front of each block is a pair 0 s aced parallel ears 37, supporting between t em on a horizontal pin 38 a star-wheel 33 are provided with indicating pointers 46 which travel over the scale as'the blocks are moved back and forth, to assist the operator in adjusting the wheels transversely of the strip.

When operating the machine the blocks 33 are moved along the bar 27 by turning the adjusting worms 43 until they are approximately in the relative positions desired. The tube machine is then started and the bar is raised by means of the adjusting screws 30 until the weight of the strip forces the lower surface thereofagainst the sharpened teeth,

causing an impression to be made therein by" the teeth, and further and more minute ad justment of the blocks 33 on the bar 27 may then be made until the line of impressions made by each star wheel is properly positioned. The depth to which the teeth prick the rubber is regulated by raising and lowering the bar 27 by means of the screws 30. the star wheelsrequiring to be elevated when the stock is relatively tough or has not suiticient weight to force the lower side of the strip onto the points of the teeth and make a perceptible impression in the rubber. The marking wheels are placed so close to the die plate that the rubber strip does not substantially deviate from a straight course before it is marked by the star wheels, and the pull of the endless belt, drawing the strip forward as fast as it is formed, maintains the alignment of the extruded strip.

When running stock not requiring to be marked the bar 27 may be lowered until the teeth do not engage .the strip or the marking device readily may be detached from the tube machine by raising the forward end and sliding the brackets free from the bolts.

1- claim:

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of means for progressively forming a sheet of plastic material and mov: ing the same forward along a predetermined path, a plurality of means for engaging a surface of the sheet and making parallel impressions thereon while the latter is traversing said path, and means for adjusting said engaging means from and toward each other to vary the lateral spacing of said impressions. I j

2. In apparatus for .making tire-tread stock, the combination of an extruding machine for forming a strip of rubber composition, and means supported in front of and immediately adjacent to the delivery end of said machine in engagement with the lower surface of the strip for making parallel impressions thereon as the strip is formed.

3. In apparatus for making tire-tread stock, the combination of an extruding machine for progressively formin a rubber strip, an endless belt spaced therefrom for progressively carrying the strip away from the machine as the strip is formed, a plurality of means between the machine and belt for progressively marking said strip, and means for adjusting said marking means from and toward each other to vary the lateral spacing of the markings made thereby.

4. In apparatus for making tire-tread stock, the combination of an extruding machine, a die plate on the forward side thereof having a die aperture therein, two laterally spaced vertical impression wheels in front of the aperture in the die plate adapted to be engaged by a strip of rubber composition forced therefrom, and means for adjusting the wheels transversely of the die aperture to vary the relative positions of the impressions made thereby on the rubber strip.

5. In apparatus for making tire-tread stock, the combination of means for progressively forming and feeding forward a strip of rubber composition, a plurality of vertically disposed rotatable wheels positioned closely adjacent the delivery portion of said forming means and adapted to be rotated by contact with the stock, said wheels having circumferential series of sharp teeth engaging the lower surface of the strip and forming parallel rows of impressions therein, and supporting means for the wheels movable vertically to vary the depth of the impressions.

6. In apparatusv for making tire-tread stock, the combination of means for progressively forming a strip of rubber-composition, a plurality of vertically disposed rotatable wheels adapted to be rotated by contact with the stock, said wheels having circumferential series'of sharp teeth engaging the lower surface of the strip and forming parallel rows of impressions therein, supporting means for the wheels movable vertically to vary! the depth of the impressions, and means for moving the wheels transversely of the strip to "ary the relative positions of the rows of impressions thereon.

7. In apparatus of the character described, the comblnation of an extruding machine for forming a strip of rubber, and a detachable mechanism for markin a surface thereof, said mechanism comprising brackets adapted to be detachably fastened to the extruding machine, a horizontal bar supported by said brackets across the front of the machine,

blocks slidably mounted on said bar, and star-wheels journaled on said blocks in con- 'tact with the lower surface of the strip.

extending across the front of the machine below the said outlet and adjustably supported in said guideways, blocks supported by and movable alon the bar, means for securing said blocks in adjusted positions,

and vertically disposed marker wheels jour-.'

naled on said blocks and adapted to contact 15 with a strip extruded from said machine.

9. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of an extruding machine, a bar extending horizontally across the delivery end thereof, a block shdably mounted on' said bar, means for vertically adjusting said bar, an adjusting worm for positioning said block on said bar, and marking means car-. ried by said bloc I In witness whereof I have hereunto set 25 my hand this 31st day of October, 1921.

' 'SILAS o. LOWE. 

